Prophecy
by ScorpioGirl1987
Summary: AU. The Potters kept Sirius as their secret-keeper. After Sirius is kidnapped by Voldemort for information, James, Lily, and Harry relocate to Hogwarts for their safety. Will Harry be safe?
1. Prologue

1**Do you ever wonder what would've happened if A) Lily and James didn't choose Peter as they're secret-keeper or B) Found out Peter was the spy? Well, my friends, this is another one of those stories!**

**I assume everyone has read Deathly Hollows by now, so there shouldn't be any WTF moments during the story.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. I DO however own the plot and a few OCs..**

**Don't forget to review! Oh, and I might make a few references from various TV shows and movies, so...yeah.**

**Pairings: LilyxJames, SiriusxOC, SnapexLily, OcxOC.**

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Prologue

_April 5__th__, 1980_

In a run-down house just outside of Yorkshire sat two men dressed in black robes. It was almost midnight.

"Three months, Severus." Said one of the men. "Three months until I know my equal."

Severus pulled down his hood. "Yes, my Lord. What do you intend to do?"

"You say there is a group of wizards loyal to Dumbledore working in London?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"We need to get one of them to work with us." Voldemort stood up and began pacing. "They won't come easily...we'll have to force them to."

Severus thought for a minute. There had to be someone too weak to work for Voldemort. But who?

XXX

_April 7__th__, 1980_

Peter Pettigrew sighed as he apparated into his flat. With his job at the Leaky Cauldron, he finally raised enough money for a flat of his own.

Peter stiffened as he heard a creak. He gulped and pulled out his wand. "Who's there?" His voice quivered in fear. After a few minutes, he heard nothing. He sighed in relief and headed to his kitchen to make some lunch.

"Drop the sandwich." Said a voice from the doorway of the kitchen.

Peter yelped, turned around and threw the samdwich at the intruder, but missed. Peter pulled out his wand...

"Stupefy!" Cried Severus.

XXX

"Who is he?"

Severus brought an unconscious Peter to Voldemort. He tied Peter up so he wouldn't escape.

"His name is Peter Pettigrew." Severus explained. "He and I used to go to school together. He was in Gryffindor, and he had this little circle of friends who nicknamed him Wormtail."

"Why such a nickname?"

"He and his friends are animagi." Severus went on. "Pettigrew's form is a rat."

"I see." Voldemort raised his wand and aimed it at Peter. "_Ennervate_!"

Peter's eyes snapped open. He gasped as he surveyed his surroundings. He sat up and scrambled against the wall looking for his wand.

Severus held Peter's wand up. "Looking for this?"

Peter sweated and shook with fear. "Pl...please don't hurt me."

Voldemort chuckled. "I've heard about you, Wormtail. You're loyal to Dumbledore. You're weak. I need information."

Peter gulped. "And...wh-wh-wh-what m-m-m-makes you th-think I'm ju-just g-gonna give it t-to you?"

"_Crucio_!" Voldemort bellowed. Peter screamed in pain and twitched around. When he stopped twitching, he was sobbing. Voldemort raised his wand again. "_Crucio_!"

Peter continued screaming. "No! Stop! I'll give you the information you want!"

'_That was fast..._' Thought Severus.

Voldemort smirked in satisfaction. "Good. You will give me any information I need or want from Dumbledore, but you will tell no one else that you are working for me. If you do...I will not hesitate to kill you. Understood?"

Peter gulped and nodded. Voldemort smiled in satisfaction. Hios plan was slowly forming...

XXXX

_April 10__th__, 1980_

James Potter sighed as he plopped on his couch in his sitting room. 'One more year of Auror training...' he thought wearily. He pulled out his wand and summoned a bottle of butterbeer. He took a swig when the doorbell rang. He got to answer it. "Professor Dumbledore? What a surprise! Come in." James led Dumbledore into the sitting room.

"Thank you, James. You're very kind." Dumbledore sat down on one of the chairs facing the couch.

"Can I get you something to eat or drink?" James asked politely.

"No thank you." James sat down across from his old headmaster. Dumbledore sighed. "I have something very important I need to talk to you about, James.

"Okay." James leaned forward, listening intently.

"Six months ago, I went to see the great-granddaughter of the celebrated seer Cassandra Trelawny for the post of the Divination professor. After our meeting, I was met with disappointment. I turned to leave, then all of a sudden, Sybil Trwelawny spoke as if she were in a trance."

James raised his eyebrows. "What did she say?"

"She said that at the end of July, a boy will be born to those who thrice defied Lord Voldemort. Voldemort will mark him as his equal, but he'll have powers Voldemort knows not. Neither can live while the other survives." Dumbledore explained.

James was speechless. "Uh...well...what does that have to do with me?"

"Your wife and Alice Longbottom are both due at the end of July of this year. Correct?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes..." James said slowly. "But...birth isn't always accurate, right? I mean, James Jr. Could be early or late. Same goes for Alice's baby."

Dumbledore nodded. "You have a good point there. I just wanted to warn you about this in case something happens."

"All right, then." James stood up and smiled. "Thank you. And...would you mind keeping this a secret from Lily?"

"Of course not." Dumbledore replied. "You'll have to tell her eventually, though. She has a right to know."

"I know. I will tell her when the time is right."

XXX

_July 31__st__, 1980_

It was nine minutes to midnight. Lily had been in labor for almost seven hours. James sat on a chair in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

'_Please don't be born for at least another ten minutes, please don't be born for at least another ten minutes, please don't be born for at least another ten minutes...'_ James kept repeating to himself.

"Oi, Prongs!" James looked up to see Sirius walking to him.

James smiled. "Padfoot. Glad you could make it."

Sirius sat down. "Ah. Wouldn't miss it for the world. How's Lily doing?"

"Well, she's been screaming in the delivary room for the last half hour." James gestured to the room. "Should be any minute now."

Sirius hesitated, looked aro8nd and sighed. "Have you told Lily yet?"

"About...?"

"The prophecy, James."Sirius rolled his eyes. "She's bound to find out sooner or later."

"Yeah, I know..." James picked a spot on the wall he was facing and stared. "It's just...the thought of our son being the most likely target as Voldemort's equal...and...either he'll come out as murderer or victim..."

Sirius shrugged. "So what if he is? He'd still be your son. If he is targeted, we'll protect him at all costs. We'll also give him the best damn life anyone's ever had."

James smiled. "You know what? You're right. I shouldn't let this whole prophecy thing bother me."

"There you go." Sirius clapped Jame's shoulder. "Now...go see your wife. You're almost a sodding father now."

James chuckled and stood up. "See you in a bit, Padfoot."

As James approached the delivary room, Lily let out one ast loud ear-piercing scream. Then James heard the sound of a baby crying. His son. Jame's checked his watch. It was 11:59.

'_Yeesh. Talk about "born as the seventh month dies"...'_ James thought wryly. He smiled, opened the door and walked in.

Lily turned to her husband and smiled. She was covered with sweat and tears. "Oh, James, we have a son!"

James walked over and kissed his wife on the head. "He's beautiful, Lily."

"He has your hair." Lily said, smiling.

"And your eyes." James commented. "What shall we name him?"

Lily thought for a minute. "How about Harry. After your father?"

James swallowed the lump forming in his throat at the memory of his father. "I think that's a good idea."

"Harry James Potter." Lily smiled fondly at her newborn son. "I love you."

James took one of Harry's timny little hands. "I love you, too, son."

XXX

A few days later, James and Lily were able to bring Harry home. Lily had just put Harry to bed. She walked into her and Jame's bedroom and sat on their bed. James sat on the edge in deep thought.

"James? Wht's up?" Lily asked, concerned.

James took a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you."

Lily listened intently asa James explained about the prophecy...and who it might be talking about. After Jaes finished, Lily just stared.

"I...I don't know what to say..." Lily looked away. "I mean...Alice had her baby the day before Harry was born. There's a good chance he'll choose her son. Do the Longbottoms know about this?"

James shrugged. "I didn't talk to them about it."

"Okay." Lily nodded. "Thanks for letting me know."

"We can protect Harry, Lily." James assured her. "Voldemort may not even target him."

"I know." Lily said looking at James now. "It's just...the thought of what would happen if You-Know-Who _does_ target Harry..."

James pulled Lily in for a hug. "I know. I'm scared, too."

They both let their minds wander to what would happen in one year, five years, or even ten years.

'_Hopefully Harry isn't targeted...'_ Both parents thought sadly.

Little did they know, their wish did not come true.

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**What do you think? Read and review!**


	2. Traitor

1**AAAAAAAHHHH! SORRY! I couldn't figure out how to move this story along. I mean, I do have a middle and end, but I...don't really have a beginning.**

**But, I thought about it more, and I now have a better idea about how I wanna move the story along.**

**So....enjoy!**

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Chapter 1: Traitor

_October 15__th__, 1981_

"You know, watching you get dressed is almost as fun as watching you get undressed."

Sirius and his girlfriend Samantha (or Sam) Walsh were st their flat just outside of London. Sam smiled at her boyfriend.

"Ha-ha." Sam threw her pajama top at Sirius. He laughed and threw it back at her.

Sam is also Lily's best friend from Hogwarts. She and Sirius have been dating on and off since their sixth year. They've been living together for a year now. Sam was in Gryffindor like the Marauders and Lily were, and on their Quidditch team. She played chaser. She's also in the Order of the Phoenix.

"So, how are the Potters doing?" Sam asked as she walked over to her bed and sat next to Sirius.

"Pretty good, considering." Sirius replied. "Dumbledore still thinks we have a spy among us."

Sam's eyes widened. "Any idea who it is?"

Sirius shook his head. "Haven't the foggiest. James is meeting with meeting with someone who is supposed to be an expert at solving stuff like this."

"Really? Who?"

XXX

James made his way through High Street into the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. Looking around, James spotted a man sitting in the far corner reading a newspaper. He took a breath and headed over.

"Derek Ellis?" James asked.

The man put his newspaper down. "On a good day. James Potter, I presume?"

"You presume correct." James smiled. "May I join you?"

Ellis gestured to the chair across from him. James obliged. "What can I do you for?"

"I've heard about you." James leaned forward. "They say you're very talented at finding information, and even better at keeping secrets."

Eliis nodded. "Correct."

"Dumbledore thinks there might be a spy on our side who's workingn for You-Know-Who. I need you to find out who he is, so we can turn him in." James said simply. "My family might be in danger, so, you can imagine this is extremely important to me that I know who's working for You-Know-Who."

Ellis let out a low whistle. "Sounds a tad dangerous. But not to worry. I've dealt with worse assignments. Any ideas on who the traitorous son of a bitch might be?"

"Well, we can definately cross Sirius Blkack, Sam Walsh, and Peter Pettigrew off the list." James shrugged. "Um...the only peple I can think of right now who might be on the list of suspects is, and it pains me to say it, emus Lupin and Slughorn."

Ellis frowned. "I can't imagine any of your friends being traitors."

"I know." James sighed. "But...during these times, you can never be too careful."

Ellis nodded. "Good point."

"Thanks for doing this." James said, smiling. "It means a lot."

"Ah, don't worry about it." Ellis leaned back in his chair. "How 'bout you buy me firewhisky and we'll call it even?"

James chuckled. "Only if you'll share."

"Deal."

XXXXXXX

"I cannot believe you hired a hitman to snuff out the traitor."

It was a week after James's meeting with Ellis. James had told Lily about him, and also told Sirius and Peter. Since James and Sirius assumed Remus was the traitor, the two have been avoiding him. Voldemort was corrupting werewolves, and Remus was a likely target for corruption. James and Lily were eating dinner.

"Lily, I will do everything it takes for you and Harry- especially Harry- to be safe." James replied. "'Sides, we can trust Ellis. He'll find out who's working for You-Know-Who."

"What if the traitor is Ellis himself?" Lily raised an eyebrow and gasped. Then she smirked.

"Then I'd have to kick his ass. Hard." James replied. "We'll be fine, Lils. I promise."

XXXXXX

Derek Ellis snuck down an alley one night under an invisibility cloak. He stealthly followed a Death Eater to a small run-down cabin. The Death Eater went inside. Around the side of the cabin was a boarded-up window with a big enough crack for Ellis to see inside undetected. He counted ten Death Eaters. They all took off their masks. He was surprised to see Peter Pettigrew among them.

"What's our next play?" Asked a surly Death Eater with bristle-y black hair.

"Well, the Dark Lord decided on his target." Answered Lucius Malfoy.

"Who?" Asked Bellatrix eagerly.

"Harry Potter." Malfoy replied. Excited chatter spread through the cabin. Malfoy continued. "He should be attacking Potter any day now. He just needs to locate the Potters."

Ellis held his breath and listened intensly. Suddenly his stomach made a loud indegestion noise. Ellis clutched his stomach, stepped backwards, and his cloak slid off. He grabbed it just as someone asked

"Who's there?"

Ellis turned to run when the wall of the cabin exploded apart. The force caused Ellis to fly a few feet and fall to the ground. The Death eaters ran outside with their wands at the ready.

Ellis coughed and turned to face the Death Eaters. "Hello, Lads. I was just leaving..."

"You overheard our plans." Malfoy sneered. "You were sent by Dumbledore, weren't you?"

Ellis remained silent. Instead, he glared at the Death Eaters.

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**I was gonna add more, but it's late, so...sorry.**


	3. New Developements

1**Ok...this hasn't become my most popular fanfic, but oh well. Rome wasn't built in a day, right?**

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Chapter 3: New Developements

_October 24, 1981_

"I still say it's Remus."

Sirius and James were using magic to repaint the Potters' old flat. They were discussing who might be the spy.

"I guess it makes sense." James replied. "Voldemort _is_ recruiting werewolves."

"What does Lily think?" Sirius asked.

"She disagrees." James shrugged. "Remus has never let her or us down since we met him."

"Then who the hell does she think the spy is?" Sirius waved his wand around a window frame.

James smirked. "You."

Sirius did a double-take. "What?!"

James burst out laughing. "Only joking, mate."

Sirius glared at his friend and shot some paint in his direction. James dodged. A little bit of paint got on his shirt and face and in his hair. Sirius laughed his loud, barking laugh. James smirked and shot some paint full-on into Sirius's face. Sirius coughed and gagged. It was James's turn to laugh.

"I swear, Padfoot. Laughing will be your downfall!" James chuckled and shook his head.

Sirius scoffed. "What's wrong with laughing?"

"Nothing!" James shrugged. "Just as long as you don't laugh during a battle."

Lily stepped outside She hd heard that last part of the conversation. "Good point!"

"Thank you!" James called back and smiled.

Lily headed towards the men. "Hey, James, Dumbledore's here. He wants to talk to us. It's urgent."

James looked a bit concerned. "He tell you what it's about?"

"No. He's waiting in the sitting room." Lily replied. She turned to Sirius. "Sirius, would you mind watching Harry for us? I have a feeling he only wants to speak with me and James."

"Sure." Sirius smiled. He whispered to James "Details later."

Lily and James greeted Dumbledore in the sitting room.

"I have some bad news for you two." Dumbledore said gravely. "Brandon Ellis was found dead near a cabin outside Yorkshire a few days ago."

James's mouth dropped open in shock. It took him a few seconds to digest Dumbledore's news. "What? I...how did that happen?"

"It was the killing curse that killed him." Dumbledore replied. "My theory is- and I could be wrong- he stumbled upon a few Death Eaters, and was caught."

"Oh my God..." James sighed heavily and ran both his hands through his hi4r. "Dammit. This is all my fault. I hired him to find out who the spy was!"

Lily hugged James's shoulders. "James, you didn't know this would happen."

"I'm afraid there's more bad news." Dumbledore spoke again. James and Lily both braced themselves. "According to my source inside...Voldemort is indeed targeting Harry."

Now Lily's mouth dropped open. "Our Harry?"

"I'm afraid so."

Lily sighed and shook her head. She was speechless. "Oh my God. No..." She sniffed and started crying. James held her.

"What happens now?" James asked.

"I have a suggestion: you go into hiding, and your cottage will have a fidelus charm added to it." Dumbledore replied.

James nodded slowly. "Okay...that would mean we'd have to have a secret-keeper."

"Correct." Dumbledore nodded. He paused. "With due respect, I think it would be best if I was secret-keeper. Hogwarts is the safest place in the world. It would be impossible for Voldemort to come near me."

"No. We couldn't put you in that kind of danger." Lily replied, wiping away her tears. "The world needs you now . We can't afford to lose you."

Dumbledore smiled with twinkle in his eye. "I appreciate that. Very well. You two decide on a secret-keeper, and I will be back with Professor Flitwick. He's superb at casting the fidelus charm."

"Ok. Thanks, Professor." James said. He sighed as Dumbledore disappeared with a swish of his cloak. He turned to his wife. "So...who should be our secret-keeper?"

XXX

James told Sirius everything while Lily started packing. Sirius was in shock and horrified at the news.

"So...Harry is being targeted...you and your family are gonna have to go into hiding...and you need a secret-keeper." Sirius recounted.

"Yes." James nodded. "And I'd like our secret-keeper to be you."

"Me?" Sirius stared wide-eyed. "James, I don't think..."

"Sirius, I don't trust a lot of people." James admitted. "You, Lily, Harry, Sam, Peter, and Dumbledore are pretty much all I do trust. I'd like our secret-keeper to be you, because I know you'd never betray us."

Sirius smiled. "Well, when you put it that way..."

XXX

Later that evening, the Potters, Sirius, and Dumbledore arrived at the Potter's new hiding place: Godric's Hollow.

"Welcome to your new home." Dumbledore smiled.

"It's lovely." Lily smiled. "Charming, quaint...Janmes, we need to go into hiding more often!" She walked down the pathway to the door with Harry in one arm and a shoulder bag in another.

"I'll help with trhe stuff." Sirius whipped out his wand and levitated the Potter's luggage and headed to the house. Dumbledore and James hung back.

"James, I want to talk to you about your choice for secret-keeper." Dumbledore said calmly.

"What's there to talk about?" James looked confused. "We can trust Sirius."

"I just want you to be sure." Dumbledore continued. "For all we know, he may be the spy."

James burst out laughing. "Yeah, and I'm a 400 foot tall blast-ended skrewt with a pink stinger!"

A few minutes later, James sobered up. "Seriously, though, Sirius would rather die a thousand deaths then betray me. He's never spilled any of my secrets, he's never lied to me or let me down. Sirius is not the spy, and I'm sticking to that theory." Without another word, James headed up the path to join his family.

Dumbledore sighed in foeboding. He knew James must be right, but still...something in the back of his mind told him that Sirius was indeed the spy.

XXX

"So you're the Potter's secret-keeper."

Sirius was back at his flat. Sam arrived for dinner. Sirius nodded and smiled. "Yeah. Better me than Remus anyway."

"Oh, come off it. You still don't think Remus of all people is the spy, do you?" Sam threw her head back and sighed. She sat down on the cough next to her boyfriend. "In what universe would Remus be the spy?"

Sirius sighed and shrugged. "I just don't trust him after he spilled to the whole of Hogwarts that I snuck off campus during an exam! I almost got expelled for God's sake!"

"So would not sneak off-campus, then!" Sam raised an eyebrow. "And didn't Snape pour a truth potion in his drink before he spilled?"

"Yes..." Sirius replied slowly. "But still!"

Sam just laughed and shook her head. "Whatever./"

XXX

About a hundred miles away, Voldemort stood inside a cottage looking out a window. Peter knelt behind him.

"So...Potter has a secret-keeper." Voldemort took in.

Peter gulped. "Yes, Master."

"And the secret-keeper is Sirius Black?"

"Yes."

Voldemort stroked his chin in thought. "Time is running out. Every second that boy grows older./ My patience is wearing thin." He turned to face his servant. "We have to do something."

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	4. Kidnapped

1Chapter 4: Kidnapped

On a crisp October evening, Sirius and Sam were enjoying a sunset picnic in Sirius' backyard. They both leaned against each other watching the sun set.

"Orange is such a beautiful color." Sam commented.

Sirius chuckled. "Why? Because the Chudley Cannons are your favorite Quidditch team?"

"No." Sam chuckled. "Though you're right-m it is."

Sirius laughed. He sighed. "You know...every minute, I'm thinking that me being the Potter's secret-keeper is a bad idea."

Sam looked concerned. "Why? They trust you."

"I know...but...what if something happens? Like what if they torture me for information?" Sirius wondered.

Sam frowned and smacked Sirius on the arm. "Don't talk like that! Even if it _does_ happen, you're strong enough not to break. You've kept Remus' secret this long."

"Yeah, but I told Snivellous indirectly that Remus I a werewolf." Sirius pointed out.

"Well, Snivellous shouldn't have blamed the Halloween party blowout of 1975 leak on you." Sam also pointed out. "He had it coming."

"James, Lily, Remus, McGonagal, and Dumbledore don't seem to think so." Sirius argued.

Sam sighed. "I wish you'd be more positive about things. I know we're in the middle of a war, but we shouldn't let that get us down.,"

Sirius leaned forward and folded his arms around his knees. "I know. You're probably right."

"'Probably;?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

Sirius looked at his girlfriend's stern face and laughed. "All right, all right. You're definately right."

"That's better." Sam chuckled, wrapped her arms around Sirius' torso and kissed him on the cheek. "Ready to go inside?"

"Yeah." Sirius stood up and dragged Sam up with him. They kissed on the lips and headed inside.

"Oh, damn. We forgot the picnic stuff." Sam noted. She started heading back outside, but Sirius grabbed her wrist gently.

"Wait. You're a lady. And ladies don't clean up after themselves." Sirius said coyly.

Sam giggled. "Awwww. You're such a gentleman."

"Yes, I am!" Sirius smiled. He headed outside. He approached his abandoned picnic when all of a sudden, someone came up behind him and put his hand over Sirius's mouth. Sirius cried out and grabbed the hand and tried to push his attacker off. A death eater walked up to him. Sirius kicked the approaching death eater. The death eater pulled out his wand.

"Hello, Sirius Black." The death eater greeted. Sirius was shocked to hear Snape's voice. "You and I are going for a little visit."

Sirius glared at Snape as his partner pulled out a portkey.

XXX

Sam getting slightly worried. Sirius hadn't been back for over an hour. She headed outside lighting up her wand. "Sirius?" She noticed that the picnic was still there. She aimed her wand around and saw Sirius' wand laying a few feet away from her. Her eyes widened in fear. "Oh no."

XXX

Over in Godric's Hollow, Lily walked downstairs as she heard a knock on her door. Pulling on a sweater, she yelled "Identify yourself!"

"It's Sam!" Sam called back.

Lily opened the door with her waned out. "What's my nephew's name?"

"Dudley." Sam answered.

Lily stepped aside to let Sam in. "What's up?"

Sam tried to keep from crying. "Sirius is missing."

Lily dropped her wand. "What? How? When?"

Sam sniffed. "I don't know what happened. We were having a picnic, and then we went inside and we realized we forgot to bring our stuff in, and Sirius went ut to get it, and when I went to look for him, he was gone!" She sat on the couch and buried her face in her hands.

Lily rushed over and sat down next to Sam. "Did you tell the Ministry?"

Sam looked at her. "Of course I did. They're sending out search teams as we speak. They also informed Dumbledore, I'll bet."

Lily sighed. "Oh." _'Well, hopefully Sirius getting kidnapped might change Dumbledoew's mind about him...'_

"Do you think...maybe...?" Lily said aloud.

"What?" Sam asked. "Do I think he maybe what?"

Lily swallowed. "Maybe he was kidnapped by Voldemort's Death Eaters/."

"A- how many times do I have to tell you to not say his name? And B-...you might be right." Sam's eyes widened with realization. She shook her head slowly. "Oh my God..."

James came downstairs. "Hey, Lily, who was at the door earlier?" He walked into the sitting room. "Sam? Hey, what's up?"

Sam swallowed and started to rise, but Lily pulled her back down. "I'll tell him." She whispered. Lily stood up and walked to her husband. "James...um...why don't you sit down?"

Confused, James let Lily lead him to the couch. Lily took a deep breath. "Honey, I have some bad news. It's about Sirius."

James grew concerned. "Is he okay?"

"He's missing." Lily replied, her voice shaking. "He and Sam were having a picnic, and..." She sighed. "Sam went inside the house and Sirius got kidnapped."

James sighed and shook his head. He stood up and started pacing. He turned to Sam. "You left him outside alone?"

"He was being a gentleman." Sam explained. "We forgot the picnic and he left to get it."

James sighed again. "That son of a bitch..."

"James, Sam already informed the Ministry." Lily went on. "They formed a search party."

James was about to say something when the doorbell rang. James pulled out his wand and aimed it at the door. "Who is it?"

"Professor Dumbledore." Dumbledore called through the door (haha!)

James lowered his wand and opened the door. "Come in, sir."

The two men walked into the sitting room. Both Lily and Sam stood up.

"Professor. Hello." Lily greeted. "Would you like something to drink?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Dumbledore smiled.

"Any word on Sirius yet?" Sam asked.

"I'm afraid not." Dumbledore answered. He turned to Lily and James. "The Ministry came to the conclusion that Sirius has been most likely taken to Lord-" Sam immediately plugged her ears and started humming. "...Voldemort." Dumbledore finished.

"So, what does this mean?" James asked.

"Vboldemort might try to break Sirius to get him to reveal your location." Dumbledore replied.

"Professor, that will _never_ happen." James pointed out. "He'll die before revealing my location!"

"I'm sure it won't." Dumbledore replied. "But everyone breaks eventually."

James opened his mouth to argue, but Lily held a hand up for silence. "So, what re we to do? Find a different hiding place?"

Dumbledore looked over at Sam over Lily's shoulder. Lily seemed to get it. "Hey, Sam? Why don't you go check on Harry?"

"Okay." Sam replied. "Excuse me."

James waited for Sam to be out of earshot before asking "Where to next?"

"Hogwarts."

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**Ooooh, intruge! XD**


	5. Hogwarts

1Chapter 10: Hogwarts

Sirius woke up to the sun shining through his eyelids. He felt a stone floor beneath him. He opened his eyes to find a dark stone ceiling above him. Sirius immediately sat up to find that his hands have been chained to the ground. He looked around panting slowly. A metal door was directly in front of him. Next to Sirius was a bowl filled with water. Sirius picked it up and drained the water.

'_How did I get here?'_ Sirius thought groggily._ 'And where am I? What am I doing here?'_

A few minutes later, the door opened and Snape walked in. "Top of the morning." Snape smirked. "Do you know how badly I want to kill you?" Sirius glared at Snape. He continued. "This is a dream come true: one of the Marauders held captive. I knew you'd get your ass into boiling water someday."

Sirius continued glaring at Snape. "Let me guess: you are Voldemort's" Snape flinched. "..personal assistant, right?"

"I wish." Snape said. "However, I am merely one of his Death Eaters. And you, my most hated enemy are in for it."

"What, you kidnapped me for your own personal revenge?" Sirius asked.

Snape just smiled wickedly and left the cell. Sirius cursed after Snape and aimed a rude gesture after him. About twenty minutes later, the cell door opened again. Sirius's eyes widened as he looked up to see Voldemort.

"Well, if it isn't Sirius Black." Voldemort whispered. He cackled in his high, cold voice. Sirius glared at him. "I'm sure you are wondering why you were brought here?"

"I'm guessing it's not to take me to dinner." Sirius said sarcastically.

"Correct." Voldemort glared at Sirius. "I believe you have some valuable information. Especially about the Potter boy."

Sirius's mouth dropped open. _'So_ that's _why I was kidnapped. They want information on the Potter's whereabouts.'_

"You will tell me what I want to know." Voldemort aimed his wand at Sirius. "Your choice would be to tell me before the pain...or after."

"You want to know where Harry Potter is?" Sirius asked.

"Yes."

"You really want to know?"

"Yes!"

"Harry Potter..." Sirius began. Voldemort held his breath and leaned closer. "Is in my pants."

Voldemort stared at Sirius for a while, then raised his wand. "_Crucio_!"

Sirius screamed and twitched for a few minutes. He took a few deep breaths when it was over. "That all you got?" He asked sarcastically.

"_Crucio_!" Sirius twitched and screamed for a few more minutes. "Where's the boy?" Voldemort asked louder.

"Go to hell." Sirius said through gritted teeth.

"_Crucio_!" Voldemort cried again. "I will continue doing this if you don't talk! The more you say, the less pain you will feel!"

Sirius slowly got to his knees and took some more deep breath. "Kill me instead."

"No. I kill you, the valuable information dies with you." Voldemort replied. "But I assure you- once you give up the valuable information, I _will_ kill you."

Voldemort left the cell. Sirius sighed, closed his eyes, and leaned his head against the wall. _'How am I gonna get out of this?'_

XXXXXXX

The Potters arrived at Hogwarts at around two in the afternoon. Dumbledore led them upstairs.

"May Iask where we're staying, exactly?" Asked Lily.

"You will be staying in the Gryffindor dormitory." Dumbledore replied. "The Head Boy has his own room, and he agreed to give it up for you three."

"Oh, wow. He didn'ty have to." Lily blushed.

"So, who's the Head Boy this year?" James asked.

"Larry Bennett." Dumbledore answered. They were approaching the Fat Lady's corridor.

"Ah." James nodded. "I remember him. Kind of a stickler for rules, wasn't he?"

"Very." Lily nodded. "He was one of the only fourth-year boys who didn't give us such a hard time."

"Password?" The Fat Lady asked as the foursome approached.

"Lumina." Dumbledore replied. The portrait swung open.

"Whoa." James said as he looked around. "Everything looks exactly the same."

"Indeed it does." Lily agreed.

They headed up to the boys' dormitory and to the end of the hall where a door with the sign "Head Boy" on it.

James sighed happily. "So many good memories happened in this room."

Dumbledore knocked oin the door. The door opened to a tall, lanky boy of seventeen. He had blond hair and brown eyes. He smiled. "Professor Dumbledore."

"Hello, Mr. Bennett. You remember Lily and James." Dumbledore gestured to the Potters.

"Of course." Larry smiled ast Lily and James. "It's good to see you two again."

"Good to see you too, Larry." Lily smiled. "Sorry we're kicking you out of your room."

"Ah, it's okay." Larry waved his hand. "Professor Dumbledore explained the situation."

"Well, I best be off." Dumbledore replied. "Mr. Bennett, I trust you'll get the Potters acquainted." He turned to the Potters. "Enjoy your stay., Hopefully this will only be temporary."

"Thank you, Professor." Lily replied. Dumbledore left. Lily, James, Harry, and Larry walked into the room.

"Wow. Thje previous three Head Boys didn't change a thing, huh?" James noticed.

"Actually, the Head Boy last year was a Ravenclaw, and the year before that was a Hufflepuff." Larry corrected. He nodded to the wall next to the bed. "Your little parting gift is still etched on the wall, James."

James headed to the wall and gasped. "So it is!"

"What parting gift?" Lily asked as she set Harry on the bed.

"I etched 'James Potter- THE Best Head Boy ever' on the wall."

Lily laughed. "You never change, do you?"

James stood up. "So, has there been any changes at Hogwarts since we left?" He asked Lasrry.

"Nothing really." Larry shrugged. "We keep going through Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers and there's a new Potions Master."

"Slughorn retired?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Yep."

Lily sighed. "Thank God. He was getting annoying."

"Really? I always suspected he had a crush on you." James joked.

"Oh, hush." Lily smacked James on the arm.

"So, who is the new Potions Master?" James asked.

Larry hesitat3ed. He knew of James's history with the new potions master. He wasn't sure how he'd react. "Someone you know, actually."

"Really?" James asked. "Cool! Who?"

"Severus Snape."

James gaped. "What?!"

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**Sorry it's short, but I'm leaving for Vegas in like ten minutes. See you guys next week!**


	6. Surprises On Every Corner

1**Sorry for the wait, guys!**

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Chapter 6: Surprises On Every Corner

James and Lily stared at Larry in shock. "Please tell us you're joking."

"I wish I was." Larry shrugged. "Dumbledore hired him last September."

"Why? _Why_ would Dumbledore hire a _Death Eater_?" James asked aghast.

"Well, Dumbledore said Snape changed his ways and that he's on our side now." Larry pointed. "Personally, I don't believe that he's changed sides, but what can you do?"

"Well, if he can't fire him, then make him want to quit!" James threw up his hands. "Severus Snape is the_ last_ person I want teaching here!"

"James, you are not the headmaster here, nor are you a teacher." Lily pointed out. "If Dumbledore thinks Snape has changed, then I trust his judgement."

James sighed in frustration. "Right. I forgot you two were best friends."

Lily stared hard at her husband. "Yes. We were. That was a long time ago, James. Sev and I haven't spoken a word to each other for like five years!"

Larry was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. "Okay. So...you know where the bathrooms are, the kitchens, and the Great Hall. Mealtimes are the same as always, and our first Quidditch game is this Saturday if you guys wanna come down."

"Thanks, Larry." Lily smiled.

Larry returned the smile. "Let me know if you guus need anything else." He left.

James sighed and stared at the door. He shook his head slowly. Lily could hear the words "Insane" and "Mad" coming from his lips in low whispers. Lil rolled her eyes and sighed.

"James, come on. People can change." Lily protested. "Just give Sev a chance, please? For me?"

James groaned silently, threw his head back and turned to face Lily. "Fine. For you I will give him a chance. Satisfied?"

Lily smiled and walked over to her husband and put her arms around his torso. "Very."

They kissed. "Can I at least play a prank on him?"

"Don't push your luck."

"Yeah, I figured as much..."

XXX

The next morning, the Potters were mobbed by a crowd of Gryffindor girls who were very taken with Harry. After all, who doesn't love babies?

It took the Potters close to thirty minutes to get downstairs to the Great Hall. They sat next to Larry and an unfamilliar face.

"Lily, James, this is Kim Stevenson." Larry introduced the girl sitting on his left. "She's a Prefect."

Kim was tall and average weight with shoulder-length curly dishwater blonde hair and blue eyes. She smiled. "I think we've met before a few times while you were still at school."

"Oh yeah! I think we have." Lily smiled and nodded.

James looked over at the staff table. Sure enough, Snape was there, glaring at James with extreme hatred. James just smiled and waved cheerfully at his former rival.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked,.

"What? You did tell me to give him a chance." James shrugged.

"...Good point..."

XXX

"I can not believe you're letting him stay here."

Snape was in Dumbledore's office during the last fifteen minutes of breakfast.

"They have nowhere else to go, Severus." Dumbledore explained kindly. "Hogwarts is the only safe place from Voldemort."

Snape flinched. "He's never going to stop, you know. He's always had it in for me."

"Now, Severus. James is different from the boy you once knew." Dumbledore smiled. "Give him a chance. I know you'll be surprised."

Severus just snarled and left the office._ 'If I'm gonna be working for a guy who never takes anything I say seriously, I'm gonna end up blasting him off the roof of the Astronomy tower!'_

XXX

Later that day after dinner, Lily decided to take a walk around the school. She ran into her former best friend.

"Sev! It's been a long time." She smiled.

"Lily." He said politely.

"So...how are you?"

"Just fine." Saverus said stiffly.

Lily nodded. "That's good. Um...so..you're a teacher now! Wow. Congratulations!"

"I wanted to be the Defense Against The Dark Arts job." Snape replied matter of factly. "I'm surprised James didn't apply. Since you are staying here temporarily."

"I guess he didn't think abut it." Lily shrugged. "He's pretty happy with his current job, anyway."

"Which is...?"

"He got a job at Zonko's." Lily replied. "His parents left him a ton of money, so he didn't need a well-paying profession."

"I see." Snape replied. He started walking past Lily.

Lily turned around. "Sev, stop." He stopped, but didn't turn around. "I know you hate James for how he treated you at school. But, he really has changed. Can you please give him a chance? For me?"

Snape didn't say anything. He just walked on. Lily sighed sadly and continued her walk_. 'I tried.'_

XXX

Remus Lupin sighed as he put down his copy of the _Daily Prophet_. Thins were getting worse. More giants and werewolves were being recruited for Voldemort's army. He hasn't been in contact with any of his friends for months. He heard from the _Prophet_ that Sirius was kidnapped. He wondered where they were on that. He knew James and Lily were in hiding, but he had no idea where Peter was.

Remus decided that if he didn't hear anything until New Years', he would go to Dumbledore. He didn't care if his friends didn't trust him. He still cared fr them, and wanted them to be safe.

XXX

Snape headed to Voldemort's hideout. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't tell Voldemort where the Ptters were hiding in order to keep his cover. That didn't mean he couldn't do some damage to the Marauders, however. Loyalty means an awful lot to James Potter. If he found out one of his friends betrayed him, he would be crushed and upset beyond belief. The thought cheered Snape up.

Snap headed to Sirius' cell where he was just finishing up his dinner. "How was the food? Terrible? Good. You deserve everything that's happening to you right now."

Sirius glared at Snape, but didn't say anything. Snape smiled. He suddenly had an idea. He went to the door. "Wormtail!"

Wormtail timidly walked to the door. "Yes, Snape?"

Snape pointed to Sirius' empty tray. "Clean out the p9isoner's dinner."

Wormtail walked slowly into he room not meeting Sirius's surprised and shocked expression. Snape smiled wider. "I'll leave you two alone."

Sirius finally found his voice. "What...what are you doing here?"

Wormtail swallowed. "I am working for You-Know-Who."

Sirius's heart jumped to his throat. "You're the mole."

Wormtail. "He was going to kill me, Sirius."

"So?" Sirius' voice quivered. "What the hell do you think we would've done if we were in your position?"

Wormtail fidgeted. "I'm not brave like you or Remus or James."

Sirius glared at Wormtail. "You son of a bitch."

Wormtail wimpered slightly. "I uh...I gotta go." He ran from the room.

Sirius groaned and banged the back of his hreead against the wall. _'Could things get any worse?'_

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	7. Motivation

1Chapter 7: Motivations

Sirius paced back and forth in his cell. He couldn't believe Peter betrayed him and James! After all they've done for him! How was it possible that a weak, talentless thing was placed in Gryffindor? Was he brainwashed into Voldemort's gang? Did he offer something? Sirius glared out of his cell. He could tell that Wormtail was standing guard. He banged on his door.

"Over a thousand wizards and witches are dead or dying because Voldemort will kill everyone who defies him." Sirius taunted. "Since you are his number two, you will be charged with murder and treason. Is that what you want? You killed innocent people, Peter. You'll be sent to Azkaban like every other Death Eater! Whatever Voldemort is offering you is not worth losing your life or throwing it away!" He kicked the door out of anger. "Dammit, Peter! What the hell happened to you?!"

Wormtail ignored Sirius and walked away. Sirius yelled angrily and punched the wall. "Screw you and your differences!"

XXX

The Death Eaters gathered around their master for another war meeting.

"My loyal friends. It has been nearly two months since the Potters went into hiding. Tweo months since we captured Black, and yet he still won't talk." Voldemort walked around the inside of the circle. "I think he needs more motivation." Wormtail slowly raised his hand. "Yes, Wormtail?"

"U-um..he-he has a girlfriend." Wormtail said.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow and smirked. "He does, does he? Well done, Wormtail. You will be rewarded for your information."

XXX

Sam Walsh got up from her bed and stretched. She sighed. She hadn't been in contact with any of her friends for a while. She knew the Ministry was still searching for Sirius, and the Potters were somewhere safe. She didn't know where they are. Sam headed downstairs and gasped in surprise.

"Peter!" She exclaimed. Peter Pettigrew was standing near her couch in her living room. Sam walked towards him, smiling. "You scared me. How are you?"

"I'm-I'm fine." Peer stammered. He avoided her gaze.

Sam noticed her friend was acting weird. "Hey, are you okay?"

Peter swallowed. "I'm fine." He repeated.

Sam continued staring at Peter with a bewildered expression on her face. "Okay...so...what brings you here?"

Peter swallowed again and continued avoiding Sam's gaze. "Peter, how can I help you if you don't-" Someone covered sam's mouth from behind. She gasped loudly.

"Make a sound and you will die slowly and painfully where you stand." A voice whispered in her ear. Sam started breathing heavily as she struggled to see who captured her. "Let's go." The man said.

XXX

Voldemort and a few of his Death Eaters walked to Sirius' cell. Sirius was leaning against the wall with his arms folded. He glared as one of them grabbed his arm. He yanked his artm out of his grip. Two Death Eaters managed to get a hold on Sirius and led him to another room. Voldemort stood in front of Sirius.

"_Crucio_!" Voldemort cried. Sirius screamed and twitched on the floor. "Tell me where the Potters are!"

"Go to hell." Sirius said through gritted teeth.

Voldemort smirked. "Perhaps you need a little more...motivation." He raised his wand and shoved Sirius against a wall. Voldemort bound Sirius' hands and feet to the wall so he couldn't move. He then turned to the door. "Bring her in."

A couple of Death eaters brought a struggling Sam in. "Let me go, dammit!"

"Sam!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Sirius, don't let them break you!" Sam cried.

Voldemort turned to Sirius. "I know you are willing to die before you give up the Potters. But are you willing to let your girlfriend die?"

"Let her go!" Sirius snarled at Voldemort.

"Tell me where the Potters are, or she dies a slow and painful death!" Voldemort responded.

"Never!" Sirius yelled defiantly.

Voldemort aimed his wand at Sam. "_Crucio_!"

Sam screamd and twitched violently. Sirius yelled out. "Oh, you son of a bitch!"

"Tel me what I want to know!" Voldemort yelled back at Sirius.

Sirius glar4ed at Voldemort, panting slowly. He didn't want Sam to die after being tortured, but he didn't want to give James, Lily, and Harry up either. He looked at Sam who had tears running down her cheeks. She shook her head determinedly at Sirius, telling him not to give in no matter what. Sirius did not want to give in. He would not stoop to Pettigrew's level.

Voldemort still had his wand pointed at Sam. He spoke in a voice above a whisper. "You're running low on time, Black. The longer you keep your silence on the Potter's whereabouts, the slower and more painful your girlfriend will die."

Sirius glared at Voldemort, then looked at Sam. "I'm sorry, Sam."

Sam swallowed and sniffed. "It's okay."

"Very well." Voldemort narrowed his slitlike eyes at Sirius. "I can see you've made your choice."

Sirius swallowed as tears sprang to his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned away...

"_Avada Kedavra_!"

Sam screamed as a flash of green light hit her. If Sirius wasn't bound to the wall, he would've collapsed to the ground. He tried not to cry harder than he already was. He felt the bounds break, and he collapsed, crying. Two Death eaters picked up up and dragged him from the scene., Sirius stole a glance at Sam's lifeless body.

"Oh my God...Sam..." He muttered. "No..."

He could barely feel the Death Eaters dragging his numb body back to his cell. When he was sure no one was listening, Sirius broke down and sobbed. He knew dying for someone else was a good way to die. And at least the Pottyers would be safe.

'_When this whole fiasco is over,'_ Sirius told himself, _'I will make sure Sam's sacrifice will be remembered.'_

XXX

Kim walked up to the boys' dormitory to the Head Bot's bedchamber where the Potters were staying. She knocked. James opened the door.

"Hey, Kim. What's up?" James smiled.

"Dumbledore wants to see you in his office. He says it's urgent." She replied. "The password's Sugar Quill."

"Okay." He turned back into the room. "Hey, Lils, I'm heading to Dumbledore's office for a minute."

"Actually, he wants to see both you and Lily." Kim interjected.

"Oh..." James nodded. "What's this about?"

Kim shrugged. "He didn't say."

XXX

James and Lily headed to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore sat behind his desk looking somber. Snow was falling thick and fast outside the window. The Potters sat down on two chairs across from the headmaster.

"You wanted to see us, Professor?" Lily asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Is it Sirius?" James askeed.

Dumbledore shook his head no. "I'm afraid that your5 friend amantha Walsh was found dead in a flat near Wales."

Lily gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God...what happened?"

"A few days ago, a wizard named Daniel Amador was walking by when he saw the Dark Mark over the flat." Said Dumbledore. "He immediately reported it, unfortuneately, by the time Ministry officials arrived, the entire flat was empty."

"Did this...Daniel Amador see anything?" James asked.

"All he saw was a dim flash of light. He saw no one exit the flat." Dumbledore replied. He sighed. "I'm very sorry. I know how much she meant to the both of you."

Lily nodded sadly. She sniffed. "Does her family know?"

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded. "I'm afraid I can't allow you two to attend her funeral. Exposing yourself like that would be risky."

"We understand." Lily replied. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."

"My pleasure." Dumbeldore nodded.

Lily and James left the office. "I can't believe it. First Sirius, now Sam..." Lily sniffed and wiped away a tear.

James put an arm around his wife's shoulder. "I know."

"And Sam...was killed...three weeks before Christmas." Lily shook her head slowly and sadly. "Do you think..." She swallowed. "What do you think Voldemort will do next?"

James sighed heavily. "Well...he went after Sirius first, then Sam...he might go after Peter next."

"Oh my God..." Lily sniffed again. Tears were streaming fast down her cheeks. James held her comfortably.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay." James whispered._ 'I hope.'_

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	8. Remus' Visit

**Aaaahhhhhhhh I'm so sorry for the long wait, guys! I lost interest in this fic for a while, but now I'm back into it.**

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Chapter 8: Remus' Visit

New Years' came and went, and still no contact from any of Remus' friends. He sighed ad apparated to Hogsmeade. It was snowing, but not too hard for the werewolf to navigate to Hogwarts. Remus sighed with relief as he stepped into the warmth of the school. It was Saturday afternoon, which meant students were either outside having snowball fights or inside hanging out in their dorms. Remus headed to Dumbledore's office, then realized he didn't know the password.

_'Dammit. I didn't think things through...' _Remus sighed as he looked around for assistance. His eyes widened with surprise as he saw Snape walking towards him. "What the hell are you doing here?" Remus asked.

"I work here."

Remus raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? You work here?"

"Contrary to your belief, Lupin, I actually am capable of teaching." Snape glared at Remus.

"I wasn't talking about that, I was talking about the fact that you're a Death Eater." Remus corrected.

"I'm reformed." Snape answered. "If you don't believe me, ask Dumbledore."

"Don't think I won't."

"Here's your chance." Snape gestured to the side of Remus. Remus glanced over to see Dumbledore walking towards the men.

"Remus! This is a surprise." Dumbledore smiled.

Remus smiled. "Hello, Professor."

"To what do I owe this honor?" Asked the headmaster.

"I actually wanted to talk to you...in private,." Remus glanced pointedly at Snape.

Dumbledore nodded. "Come into my office."

They entered the office. Dumbledore sat behind his desk interlacing his fingers while Remus sat across from him.

"Does Severus really work here?" Remus asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded once. "He has reformed and agreed to work with us as a spy."

Remus sighed and shook his head. "All right. Well, if you trust them, that's enough for me."

Dumbledore smiled warmly. "You didn't come here to question my staffing decisions."

"No. Actually I came here because I want to know what's going on with my friends." Remus answered. "I haven't heard from any of them for almost six months now, and I didn't see either of them at Sam's funeral."

Dumbledore bowed his head and sighed deeply. He knew why Remus' friends were avoiding him. Should he tell him? "Lily and James are still in hiding." Dumbledore answered watching Remus' face carefully. "Sirius is still missing, and I haven't heard from Peter."

"Okay." Remus nodded. He stood up. "It's just...I really care for them. It bothers me that I haven't been in contact with them."

"I understand." Dumbledore paused. "How are you doing otherwise? I heard that Lord Voldemort was recruiting werewolves."

Then it hit Remus why his friends haven't contacted him. They think he is working for Voldemort. "I'm fine. Voldemort hasn't come to me yet./"

"That's good."

The door opened behind them. James stood in the doorway wearing a shocked expression.

"Remus?" James questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting some answered." Remus said simply. "Now that I have them, I'm leaving now."

James held his arm out tro stop his friend from leaving. "Wait...answers to what?"

"To why you haven't contacted me in almost six months." Remus admitted. "You're not outrageously bvusy with your job, or with Harry, so you would've had time to write! I was getting worried about you and Lily."

James sighed. "I'm srry I didn't write you."

"It's fine." Remus said curtly. "KI understand why you haven't. But...can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why would I betray you?" Asked Remus. "Have I ever been dishonest or betrayed you in any way?"

"No." James admitted. "But...people can change."

Remus just stared at James. It was getting more obvious that he didn't trust him. "Excuse me." Remus walked off. James stared after him.

_'I should've known James wouldn't trust me. How can he think, after all we've been through, that I would betray him and his family?'_ Remus thought sadly. He hurried towards the front door. He didn't want to be anywhere where he wasn't trusted.

"Remus?" Called out a familiar voice. Remus turned around to see Lily holding Harry.

"Hello, Lily." Remus greeted.

"It's so good to see you!" Lily exclaimed. She walked over to give Remus a one-armed hug. "How've you been?"

"I've been better." Remus shrugged. "I just came by to visit Dumbledore." He paused. "I also ran into Snape...and James."

Lily's smile faded a little in dread. "Oh. What did you guys talk about?"

"Well, Snape told me he now works here, and James inadvertently told me he doesn't trust me." Remus admitted.

Lily's mouth went dry. She swallowed, then started thinking up ways to commit mariticide. "Remus..."

Remus held up a hand and smiled slightly. "It's okjay. I guess it comes with the territory of being a werewolf."

"Remus, I trust you." Lily assured him. "Which is why I have no problem telling you trhat James, Harry, and I are living here temporarily."

Remus kept smiling. "Thanks. At least one person trusts me." And then he left.

Lily stared after Remus and sighed heavily. She turned around to see James standing a few feet away. She frowned. "You're way off on this one, James."

"What?"

"How could you?" Lily stormed upstairs. How could James be so damn tactless?

XXX

Peter walked slowly up Remus' walkway. His master advised him to divert suspicion by visiting his friends even though he was betraying them.

"Peter! Hey. Comer on in." Remus greeted his friend. He stepped aside to let Peter in.

"Hey, Re4mus." Peter replied. The two went into the sitting room.,

"So, how's everything going?" Remus asked as he sat down.

"Fine." Peter answered. "You?"

"I've been okay." Remus shrugged. He sighed. "Dumbledoere thinks there might be a spy among us, and James thinks it's me."

Peter was shocked. "What? That's crazy!"

Remus was relieved that Peter didn't agree with James. "I know. I mean....seriously, when have I ever been dishonest?"

"Well...you did lie about being a werewolf..." Peter pointed out.

"For only six months!" Remus responded. He sighed and shook his head.

"Wait...you said you ran into James a few days ago.," Peter observed. "I thought he was in hiding."

"He is." Remus replied. He hesitated. Remus never swore Lily and James to secrecy, but...is it safe to tell Peter? He does trust him implicitly...

"So....where is James hiding, anyway?" Peter asked.

"Hogwarts." Remus replied. He hoped he wouldn't regret giving Peter the information.

Little did Remus know, Peter was already making a plan on when to tell Voldemort...

XXX

Lily was getting restless. It has been three months since Sirius got kidnapped, and they went into hiding. They were no closer to uncovering the spy than when they started.

She had to do something.

Leaving a note for James telling him she's going on a walk, Lily crept out of the boys' dormitory and out of the common room. She headed to Snape's office.

"Lily?" Severus asked, surprised.

Lily smiled. "Hey, Sev. Sorry we haven't talked much these past few months."

"It's fine." Severus started piling up scrolls of parchments and putting them away. "Was there something you needed?"

"Um, yeah." Lily took a deep breath. "You know you can tell me anything, right? And I can keep a secret."

"Yes." Severus nodded slowly. He stopped what he was doing.

"Well..." Lily walked closer to her old friend. "I was wondering...since you're in Voldemort's inner circle, if you could tell me who the spy is."

Severus sighed. "Lily, you know if I tell you, it would blow my cover. I can't tell you."

Lily sighed. She didn't want to have to do this, but she had no choice. She had to know who the spy is. She moved closer to Severus. "Can't or won't? I'd really show my appreciation." She glanced at his office. "Is this your office?" Severus nodded wordlessly. "Does it have a lock?" Severus nodded again. Lily smiled and led Severus into his office. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed her friend on the lips. Severus was surprised, but didn't pull away. They continued to kiss, and Lily started to take off Severus' robes...

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**Well, how else was Lily going to get the info she wants? XD Read and review, please!**


	9. End Of The Line

…**.Okay...I lost interest for the last time. There will be three more chapters of this fanfic.**

**I'mLostForever- ….Lily and James are at Hogwarts which means a Fidelus charm is not needed.**

_'I cannot believe I did this.'_

Lily slowly got dressed with her back facing Snape. She took a deep breath, turned around and smiled at her friend.

"Have fun?" She asked coolly.

Snape nodded. "You're obviously very experienced."

Lily smirked. "I have the stretch mark to prove it."

They headed towards the door. Lily cleared her throat. "So...was that a good experience?"

Snape nodded. Lily smiled. "So...can you please tell me who the mole is?"

Snape chuckled humorlessly. "You really want to know, don't you?"

"Yes. Can you blame me?" Lily folded her arms.

"Yes, actually I can." Lily gasped at his comment. Snape was also surprised. All the emotions he has been feeling for the last five years bubbled up inside him. "Why are you still with him? He's obviously a danger to you as well as his son."

Lily became a little angry. "_His_ son is _my_ son, too. Regardless of whether or not he's a target!"

"Well, in that case, I feel sorry for you." Snape snarled. "Having two Potters running around the house? I'll give you three months before you run away!"

Lily slapped Snape across the face. Snape gaped at her in shock. Lily glared at him. "I never want to see you again."

Without another word, Lily left the office. Snape stared after her and sighed sadly. _'Well, it was worth it. I protected her...and I kept my cover.'_

XXX

Lily waited until she was inside the Gryffindor common room to cry. What was she thinking? Of _course_ Snape wasn't going to tell her anything.

_'Ughhh...I was so stupid.'_ Lily lay on the couch and went to sleep.

The next morning, Lily was woken up by James who sat next to her. "Top of the morning."

Lily sat up groggily. "Oh...morning, hun."

"Where were you last night?" James asked.

"Oh! I..." Lily hesitated. She knew what James' reaction would be if she told him. Hogwarts would need a new potions master, and she would need a new husband. She sighed. "Please try to understand. I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect this family."

James felt an unusual feeling of dread. "...Do I even _want_ to know?"

"Probably not, but I figured I might as well be honest...since it is impossible to keep things from you." Lily answered.

"Yeah, that's true." James nodded. "Out with it, then."

"I went to ask Snape for information about Sirius and the mole." Lily answered.

"Oh, well, that's not so bad!" James shrugged and smiled.

"By seducing him."

James' smile faded into disgust. "That's bad." James turned around and sighed. "So, you cheated on me to get information."

"It wasn't because I was in love with him." Lily protested.

James turned back to face her. "It's still cheating! Did it even work? Did Snivellous give you any information?"

"No..." Lily bowed her head in shame. "God, I feel so ashamed."

"No kidding." James folded his arms. He shook his head in dismay. "What if you get pregnant with his baby?"

"I took a birth control potion before seeing him." Lily said honestly. "I was safe at least."

"Oh, hey, as long as you took precautions." James said sarcastically. "No affection or sex for a year, young lady. Even from me! And Lily?" Lily looked up at him guiltily. "Don't ever betray me again. Or you can find yourself a new husband."

Lily bowed her head, closed her eyes, then looked up. "I probably deserve that. I understand. It won't happen again."

"It better not." James stormed back upstairs. Lily groaned and buried her head in her hands.

XX

James and Lily did not talk to each other the entire day. At dinner, the table was crowded, so they sat squeezed together.

"You smell better." James said to Lily coolly.

"Thanks." She replied. "Did you have fun at quidditch?"

"Oh, yeah." James responded, taking another sip of his drink.

Kim and Larry exchanged concerned looks. "Um...is everything all right with you two?"

"Of course. Why would you think otherwise?" James asked Kim.

Kim bit her lip and looked at Lily who smiled and shook her head as if to say "Everything's fine". Kim just smiled at the married couple and continued eating deciding to stay out of it.

After dinner, Lily and James headed up to their temporary room.

"I can sleep on the couch downstairs if you'd like." Lily offered.

"That won't be necessary." James waved his wand and a cot appeared. "I'll take the cot, you can have the bed."

"Are we really doing this?" Lily asked tersely, trying not to raise her voice. "Sleeping on separate beds?"

"In case you haven't figured it out by now- which would be shocking, given how intelligent you are- I am extremely pissed with you." James said not facing her and making the cot. "So I don't feel like sleeping on the same bed as you."

Lily sighed. "Okay. Thanks for the bed."

"Yeah." James finished up and headed to the door. "I'm going for a walk. Don't wait up."

XX

James trudged slowly around the castle clearing his head. He was torn between forgiving and not forgiving Lily. On one hand, he would have done the same thing. On the other hand, he had to wonder if there was a better option such as torture.

The marauder heard footsteps coming down a hallway and drew his wand. The figure turned out to be none other than Snape himself.

"Great. Just what I needed." James said sarcastically. He lowered his wand.

Snape smirked evilly. "Trouble in paradise?"

"You wish, asshole." James glared at Snape with pure loathing.

Snape weighed his options. He could kill James and transfigure him so they'd never find the body, oh, and killing Harry would be an added bonus. Then Lily would have no one but him to turn to!

James studied Snape's face and sighed. "You know what? You're nothing but a sniveling piece of shit."

He started walking off.

Snape couldn't help himself. "That's not what your wife said last night."

James stopped, smiled wryly, turned around and waved his wand at Snape causing the Potions Master to fly across the hallway, through a door and down a flight of stairs. James ran to the top of the staircase to see his victim laying spread eagled on the ground, but still breathing. James modified Snapes' memory so that he would not remember what he did with Lily or who pushed him down the stairs.

XX

The common room was silent as James trudged through it. He headed to the Head Boys' room. Lily was just walking out. She shut the door quietly.

They stared at each other for a moment, then James broke the silence. "I ran into Snape."

Lily bowed her head. She wasn't surprised. "Oh?"

"I modified his memory. He will not remember what you guys did last night."

Lily looked up at her husband with surprise. "I would've thought you'd keep it to use against him later."

"Not remembering having hot sex with the girl of your dreams is a lot worse than it being used against you." James explained.

"You really think so?" Lily raised an eyebrow. James nodded. Lily shook her head slowly.

"Lily...I don't want us to be mad at each other." James began. "I...I love you. I don't wanna lose you."

A lump rose to Lily's throat. She swallowed and smiled. "I love you, too." They hug. "I don't wanna lose you either...or Harry."

"I know...you won't."

They embraced each other for a long time. Maybe James wouldn't completely forgive Lily for cheating on him, but...with Sirius still missing, Remus mad at him, and Wormtail he hadn't seen for ages...Lily and Harry are all he has now.

XX

The following afternoon, Snape caught up with Lily in the courtyard.

"Lily! Might I have a word with you?" Snape asked hopefully.

Lily sighed and turned around. "Yes?" She said politely but with contempt in her voice.

"I want you to know I still care about you. And..." Snape hesitated. "I...I..."

"You what?"

Snape sighed and switched tactics. "How can you be in love with that...that toerag? We used to think up ways to get him expelled!"

"He changed, Sev. He's not the bully you once knew in school!" Lily argued. "Why can't you see that?"

"He stole you from me!"

"I was never yours to begin with!" Lily shot back. "How can I be in love with you when you are so obsessed with dark magic?"

"I requested to the Dark Lord to spare you!"

Lily was shocked. "Why?"

"Because...I love you." Snape admitted.

Lily bowed her head and closed her eyes. So he asked to spare her and not James and Harry? She knew You-Know-Who targets Harry, but still! Lily looked up at her former friend.

"If you love me, then you would've requested to spare my husband and son as well." Lily said tersely. Snape was taken aback. Lily continued. "Say he does spare me and James and Harry..." She couldn't bear to finish that sentence. "What then? Are you expecting me to come to you for comfort and I'd fall in love with you?" She calmed down a little. "Tell me, how would that honor my family's memories, Severus? Especially since James is so prejudice against the Dark Arts?"

Snape didn't answer. He shook his head slowly. "Would it be better if I renounced the Dark Lord?"

"Yes, it would." Lily answered honestly. "But it still wouldn't change how I feel about you."

"How _do_ you feel about me?" Snape asked.

"I feel sorry for you." Lily said. "I mean...you had this horrible childhood, but you had the chance to make it better by being a strong person. James didn't steal me from you. I chose him because if you were half the person James is, you would never fall to the Dark Arts."

Without a word, Lily walked off leaving Snape looking shocked and heartbroken. He finally stormed off in the other direction. Little did he know, James was half hidden behind a pillar. He heard every word.

XXX

In another part of the country, Lord Voldemort smiled in satisfaction. Wormtail just fed him some good news.

"So...the boy is at Hogwarts." He repeated. "So clever. I wonder why I had not foreseen it."

"My Lord, what will we do about Dumbledore?" Asked Bellatrix.

"Oh, not to worry, Bellatrix, I have a plan..."

Unbeknownst to them, a shaggy black dog listened to every word through an open window. The dog sprinted off towards where he hoped was Hogwarts.

**All right! I'll update this every month, so, stay tuned!**


	10. Attack

**All right! Three more chapters, and I am DONE! -pumps fists-**

_'Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_I am sorry to announced that your brother suffered an accident and is in St. Mungo's. He had requested to see you. If you could come as soon as possible, that would be wonderful._

_Sincerely,_

_St. Mungo's Hospital Staff'_

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. What had happened? He heard the door open and looked up.

"Albus? What's going on?" Minerva asked with a worried expression.

"It seems my brother is in the hospital." He went over to Dilys' portrait. "Dilys? Would you mind visiting your other portrait at St. Mungo's to check on my brother?"

"No, sir." Dilys left.

Dumbledore grabbed his cloak. "Minerva, tend to the school while I'm away. Send me an owl when you hear from Dilys."

"Of course, Albus."

XXX

Remus flew low over the valley of Scotland towards Hogwarts. He hoped the Potters were okay. He looked down and spotted a black shaggy dog sprinting the same direction he was going.

"Need a ride?" Remus called to Sirius.

Sirius looked up at Remus, but wasn't watching where he was going. He slammed into a tree. Remus stifled a laugh. Sirius glared up at Remus and transformed back into a human.

"Thanks..." Sirius rubbed his head. "You headed to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah." Remus sighed. "Sirius, everyone's been looking all over for you!"

"I know." Sirius said. "I was kidnapped by Death Eaters and tortured for information."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Did they break you?"

"No! God, no." Sirius shook his head. "I also found out who the spy is."

"Who?" Remus asked enthusiastically.

"You're not gonna like it." Sirius swallowed. "It's Wormatail."

Color drained from Remus' face. He stiffened. _'But...no...it couldn't be! But...I just saw him last week and...told...them...where...the Potters are...aw, _CRAP!'

"We better get to Hogwarts."

XXX

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE ESCAPED?"

Travers trembled under Voldemort's wrath. "He-he must've broken the lock and snuck out."

"How the hell could you let this happen?" Voldemort snarled. Travers just shrugged and shook his head. "I'd kill you, but I can't afford to lose the manpower." He turned around. "Wormtail! We need a new plan...I'm not sure how fast Black will get to Hogwarts. You will go to Hogwarts, find Potter, and tell him his friend is dead. That will lure him into the open away from his wife and son."

Wormtail nodded. "Yes, my lord."

XX

Minerva paced slowly in Dumbledore's office. Dilys reappeared in her portrait.

"Dylis, what news?"

"He's not there." Dilys reported.

"What do you mean 'he's not there'?" Minerva asked, stiffly.

"Aberforth Dumbledore is not in the hospital, nor has he been anywhere near it." Dilys replied.

'Oh, no. It was a trap!' Without thinking, Minerva amplified her voice. "Attention all students. You are all to return to your House Dormitories at once. If you are in your Dormitories, stay there until further notice. Teachers are to report to the staff room immediately."

XXX

James, who had heard that message, headed towards Dumbledore's office. He had to know what's going on. He saw Ministry officials arrive and heading towards the office as well. He then felt something rush past him between his legs. James squinted in the direction of the feeling.

"What on earth...?"

Ahead of James, Wormtail transformed in front of him looking out of breath. "James!"

"Wormtail? Where have you been?" James asked. Wormtail avoided James's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I...I'm sorry, James." He said quietly.

"About what?"

"They...the Ministry found Sirius' body floating in the river." Wormtail lied. "He's dead."

James' blood ran cold. A huge lump rose to his throat and he sank to his knees_. 'No...he can't be dead. He just can't be!' _"Who is responsible?"

Wormtail swallowed. "You-Know-Who."

"I'm sorry..." Wormtail said. He slowly walked off.

James took no notice of his friends' sudden departure. He hugged his knees and cried in anguish. _'I can't believe this...I shouldn't have named him my secret-keeper!'_

XX

Dumbledore rushed to his office. He had been tricked! Who knows what could've happened here while he was away?

"There he is." He heard Minerva tell someone. She ran over to Dumbledore.

"_Now_, what's happened?" Asked Dumbledore.

"It's Sirius. He-he came to the castle just now with Remus." Minerva answered. "Cornelius Fudge, Kingsley Shackelbolt, and Barty Crouch are also here."

Dumbledore approached Fudge. "What is the meaning of this, Cornelius?"

"Black and Lupin are in your office." Fudge explained. "They claim that Peter Pettigrew is the spy."

Dumbledore gaped in shock. "That is an outrageous accusation."

"Yes, I know. That is why we are detaining Lupin and Black until we have more information." Fudge announced.

"Very well. I would like to hear their side of the story." Dumbledore pushed past Fudge and entered his office.

XXX

Larry shined his lit wand down the corridor. He was told by McGonagol to search for potential invaders. He heard voices and snuck quietly towards them.

"Time is short. We need to keep the Ministry at bay while the Dark Lord searches for the boy."

"I am working on it! I just told James that Sirius is dead." Wormtail was arguing. "I-I-I bought the Dark Lord some time."

"You better not be playing us, Wormtail." The death eater snarled. "Or you know what will happen."

Wormtail gulped. "I understand."

"Good." The death eater walked away. Wormtail walked around the corner and saw Larry looking shocked.

"Oh my God...you...?" Larry gasped.

"Larry, I'm sorry." Wormtail shot a spell at Larry causing the boy to fly backwards and land on his back. Blood oozed from his mouth and he breathed heavily.

**Sorry this is short, but I wanted to get this up!**


	11. Deception

Lily sat nervously in the Gryffindor common room holding Harry. It had been over an hour since the announcement. Where was James? She tried to be calm and brave for Harry's sake, but it was getting difficult. Kim sat next to her and put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. It's gonna be okay." She said. "I'm sure it'll be over quickly."

Lily exhaled sharply. "I hope so." She knew James was powerful, and he'll have help. But what would happen if neither of them made it? She swallowed and turned to Kim. "Kim, listen...there's a chance that neither James or I will make it. Sirius might already be dead...and I doubt Wizarding Social Services will let Remus anywhere near children. If neither James or I make it out alive...will you please take care of Harry?"

Kim was surprised and touched. Her younger brother died the previous year. It hit her and her parents hard. Kim's parents were divorced for ten years before that. She didn't know how hard it would be to take care of Harry if worse comes to worse, but she couldn't find it in her heart to say no. "Of course."

"Thanks." Lily hugged Kim. "You've been a good friend these past few months."

XXX

James trudged slowly to Dumbledore's office. He ran into Kingsley. "James! Why the long face?"

James just sighed. "Listen...I know Sirius' family doesn't care about him, so there's no one to claim his body. So...I'd like to claim it."

Kingsley stared at James confused. "Body? Sirius isn't dead."

"What?" James' face shot up.

"He's sitting in Dumbledore's office right now. What made you think he was dead?"

_'Oh. My. God!' _James thought furiously. "We need to arrest Peter."

Kingsley chuckled apprehensively. "What?"

"He lied to me about Sirius. He told me he was dead." James kicked the wall in anger.

"Maybe he was mistaken."

"About Sirius being dead?" James argued. "No, Kingsley, he lied."

"Well, that's hardly proof." Kingsley shrugged. "All we have is your word."

"I'll get your proof. Just find him!" James ran off. He ran through five hallways before running into someone. "Hey! Have you seen Peter Pettigrew?"

"Uh...yeah, I saw him running from that hallway." He pointed behind him.

James sprinted in that direction. As he turned the corner, he saw Larry laying on the ground panting slowly. James ran over and knelt next to him. "Larry. Hey, Larry! What happened?"

Larry gasped weakly. "Pe...Peter..."

"When?" James asked.

"Uh...twenty...minutes ago..."

James pulled out a small vial and tapped his wand on Larry's forehead. "I'm collecting your last memory."

Larry breathed laborly. "Just make sure...he goes down." He gave his last breath and passed away.

James sighed sadly. "I promise: you didn't die in vain."

XX

"I'm telling you, it's outrageous!"

Fudge was not believing Sirius' story about Peter being the spy. "How can a talentless little thing, a Gryffindor be working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"He was forced." Sirius argued. "Apparantly the Sorting Hat put him in the wrong House!"

"Sirius, be calm." Dumbledore urged calmly.

The door slammed open. Everyone jumped and turned to see James standing there panting heavily. He held up the vial with Larry's memory in it.

"James!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I have your proof." James walked over to Dumbledore. "Peter killed Larry Mossman."

Dumbledore wordlessly grabbed his pensieve from the cupboard and set it on his desk. James handed the vial to him. Dumbledore poured it in and tapped his wand to form the mist into the scene of the attack.

_"Time is short. We need to keep the Ministry at bay while the Dark Lord searches for the boy."_

_"I am working on it! I just told James that Sirius is dead." Wormtail was arguing. "I-I-I bought the Dark Lord some time."_

_"You better not be playing us, Wormtail." The death eater snarled. "Or you know what will happen."_

_Wormtail gulped. "I understand."_

_"Good." The death eater walked away. Wormtail walked around the corner and saw Larry looking shocked._

_"Oh my God...you...?" Larry gasped._

_"Larry, I'm sorry." Wormtail shot a spell at Larry causing the boy to fly backwards and land on his back. Blood oozed from his mouth and he breathed heavily._

McGonagal gasped in horror. "Oh my God."

"Oh my God." Remus repeated in shock.

"He's probably made a run for it." James sprinted out of the office.

"James...James!" Dumbledore called after him.

James sprinted towards the entrance hall. Sure enough, Peter was trying to make a break for it. He heard an explosion from above and people screaming, but chose to ignore it. James glared at Peter with loathing. Peter gasped in horror and ran to the door. James caught up to him, turned him around, pinned him to the door, and aimed his wand at him.

"I trusted you." James breathed heavily.

"I'm s-s-sorry."

James scoffed. "You're sorry?"

"I-I was just doing my job."

"Doing your job? My wife and son almost died today! How many others died in the past few months because you were doing your job?" James demanded. "Sam? Ellis? Larry? Give me one good reason why I should forgive you for this!"

Dumbledore, Remus, Sirius, Fudge, Kingsley, and Crouch came up behind James. "James, let him go."

James didn't listen. Instead, he aimed the wand at Peter's head struggling not to kill him. Sirius walked up to him. "James, come on. Lily and Harry are waiting for you in the Gryffindor common room. Go be with your family."

James sighed, let Peter go and pushed him against the door. He walked away and rubbed his forehead.

"Okay, you're coming with me." Kingsley produced a pair of handcuffs and handcuffed Peter. "Crouch, you wanna help me escort him to Azkaban?"

Crouch nodded firmly. Without saying good-bye, they left. James walked up the marble staircase towards the Gryffindor common room. When he got to the hallway, the Pained Lady portrait was laying on the ground. James' heart pounded as he ran into the common room. It was a mess in there. Students were crying or helping their injured friends. James looked around for Lily and Harry, but they were nowhere to be seen. He ran up the staircase to the Boys' Dormitories. Two students were trying to revive their friend.

"Have you searched the floor yet?" James asked. "Have you searched the floor?"

"No, not yet, James." Replied one.

"Lily? Lily?" James called as he headed to the Head Boy's dorm. The door had been blasted off. Wind was blowing through the large hole in the wall. The sky was still darkened. Lily lay sprawled on the ground, lifeless. James' stomach dropped and his knees buckled. "Lily! Lily!" James ran to her and held her close. His eyes stung with tears. "No...oh, no. Please, Baby, no." He hugged her lifeless body. How could he be so careless? If he hadn't gone after Peter, he could've saved her! "I'm sorry. So sorry." He head a cry and looked up. Harry was on the bed laying down. James put Lily down and ran over to his son. Harry had a thin scar across his forehead. James traced it gently as the sun slowly rose. "Harry..." James hugged him close.

_'At least Harry is alive.' _

**All right, guys! One more chapter, and this story is over! I might write a sequel to this, so let me know if you're interested!**


	12. Epilogue

**ALL RIGHT! Last chizz-apter! I'm thinking of writing a sequel to this. Let me know what you think!**

It seemed like time was moving slowly. News of Lily's demise and Voldemort's disappearance spread through the castle like wildfire. Kim found James holding Harry and Lily dead on the floor. They walked to Dumbledore's office to relay the news. Everyone was, of course, shocked and deeply saddened. Everyone was quiet for a long time.

"What are we going to do now?" Sirius asked.

James swallowed back a lump and looked at Dumbledore who was stroking his beard in thought. He sighed, bowed his head, and closed his eyes. "I guess I'm a single father now."

"We'll help." Remus assured him. Guilt seeped through his chest. He swallowed. "James...I told Peter where you were hiding."

James shook his head. "It wasn't your fault."

"How on earth did...did You-Know-Who manage to reach Lily and the boy?" Professor McGonagal asked.

"According to a few witnesses, Voldemort..." McGonagol and Kim flinched at the name. Dumbledore ignored it. "...broke through Gryffindor Tower, cursed all who stood in his way, and..." he sighed. "Well, you know the rest."

"I should've been there." James lamented quietly. "But I chose to chase after Pettigrew."

Sirius put a comforting hand on James' shoulder. "There was nothing you could've done. You could've died, too."

"At least you and Harry are alive." Kim pointed out.

James smiled and nodded. He thought of the thin scar on his son's forehead. "Will he have that scar forever?"

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so." He sighed heavily. "Minerva, Kim, Sirius, Remus, may I please speak with James alone?"

They all nodded and left quietly. James turned to Dumbledore._ 'This can't be good...'_

"James...this is hard for me." Dumbledore admitted. "Harry has been chosen as the one who will bring down Voldemort once and for all."

James stared at Dumbledore. "I think he pretty much did that already."

"Do you really believe Voldemort is gone forever?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. James didn't respond. "I don't know when he'll return- whether it's ten years or twenty years- but, hopefully when he does Harry will be ready."

"Why don't you kill him?" James asked. "You're the greatest sorceror in the world! Merlin is taking notes. Seriously!"

Dumbledore smiled. "I appreciate that. But I'm afraid you overestimate me. The prophecy clearly states that Voldemort's equal will be the one to vanquish him. Harry will come out murderer or victim. It can't be any other."

James sighed again and ran both his hands through his hair. There was no loophole to this. Even if he disguises himself as Harry, Voldemort would see right through him. "I guess I'll have to do my damnedest to make sure he's ready for his return."

Dumbledore hesitated slightly before speaking again. "That's...another unfortunate situation I must bring up. Since Lily sacrificed herself to save Harry, a protection spell was cast in him. Protected by blood. Her blood."

James did not like where this was going. "Where are you going with this?"

"Lily's has a sister, correct?" James nodded. "She and Lily share the same blood. Harry would be perfectly safe there."

"The Dursleys?" James asked shocked. "Are you freaking insane? Why don't you save Harry the trouble and sic whatever is left of Voldemort on him now?"

"I understand they are not the most desirable family, but, James, as long as he remains with you, he's in danger." Dumbledore stated.

"He'll be in even more danger with the Dursleys. Trust me." James argued back. "And...Harry's not a fully grown wizard yet. He doesn't know any magic yet."

"Voldemort won't wait until he does." Dumbledore informed him. "He'll get Harry when he's young and helpless."

"Well, what are we going to do?"

"We'll do what's best for the boy."

"You better believe it. You name it, and I'll do it." James said with confidence.

"Good. Then send Harry to the Dursleys."

"Are you out of your mind? I promised I'd take care of him!" James exclaimed. He sobered up. "He's my son. I love him."

"Then think about what's best for Harry and not yourself." Dumbledore advised.

James gave in and sank low in his seat. As hard as it was for him to admit it, Dumbledore was right. He didn't have Lily's blood. If he stayed with him, he'd be exposed. As horrible as the Dursley's are, it really is the safest place for Harry to be.

"Can I at least say good-bye to him before you take him to the Dursleys?" James asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course."

XX

Dumbledore explained the situation to McGonagol and Hagrid. Hagrid agreed to take Harry to the Dursley's, and McGonagol agreed to spy on them. They left James alone with Harry for a last good-bye.

"Hey, Harry." James held his son on his knee. "You have to go away now. Sometimes things change, and maybe they're for the better. I wish I could be there for you...with you, but...you'll understand someday. Until we meet again...I will miss you." James hugged Harry tightly and held him for a few minutes. He sighed and carried him over to Hagrid. "Thanks, Hagrid."

Hagrid took Harry and sniffed. "I wish we didn't have to do this."

"I know." James nodded. He turned so he wouldn't have to see Hagrid walk off. Thunder rumbled outside. As Hagrid's footsteps subsided, James sank to the floor and cried harder than he had in a long time.

XXX

A few hours later, James trudged through the pouring rain to Hogsmeade to meet Sirius and Remus. He walked into the pub and took his order at the counter. "Butterbeer. Make it a double."

Sirius noticed James and walked up to him. "James! Where've you been, Mate?"

James took his drink and sighed. "I had to give Harry to the Dursleys."

"What? Why?" Sirius asked in astonishment.

"I can't get into it, right now."

"Well, force yourself. What happened?"

James walked to a table and sat down. "Lily's sacrifice formed a protection spell on Harry...since Lily's sister is his only living relative on her side, it's the safest place for him." James explained everything Dumbledore told him. Needless to say, Sirius and Remus were shocked. James continued. "You don't want me raising Harry, anyway. I lost my wife."

"That shouldn't stop you." Remus piped up. "Couldn't you just raise Harry until he's old enough to start Hogwarts?"

"If I can't even protect my wife, who is- _was_ the most gifted witch in the universe, how can you expect me to protect Harry?" James exploded. "Lily is dead because of me!"

"So, what are you gonna do then? Just live your life as if you never had a family?" Asked Sirius.

James sighed. "I've been thinking about that. People know who I am. If they don't see me raising Harry, they might think I abandoned him. They'll ask questions that I do not want to answer."

"Then don't answer." Remus advised. "Tell them to back off."

"And you don't have to do this alone." Sirius put in. "We're with you every step of the way. Friends stick together to the end."

James smiled at his friends. Loyalty was very important to him, and he was glad he had such loyal friends. They'll get through this. They'll watch Harry grow from afar and meet with him when the time is right.

**And...cut! That's the end (unless I write a sequel...)!**


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